The current state of the art consists of a huge range of locking mechanisms, which are intended mainly to enable a mobile wall or door to be securely locked and opened only by authorized persons. Currently existing locking mechanisms are used in distinct and specialized applications, while the principle of operation varies according to the different “groups” of locking mechanisms.
Among the existing locking mechanisms, we highlight the locking mechanisms responsible for the activation of “crossed rods”, which comprise locking systems where the locking elements (pins and locks in general) are located at some distance from their respective locking mechanisms. Thus, the aforementioned “crossed rods” are meant to transmit the motion of locking or opening of the locking mechanism to the locking elements.
These locking mechanisms are conventionally used on luggage doors or cargo compartments of large automotive vehicles, such as, for example, buses in general. The operating principle of this type of locking mechanism is particularly suited for this application, as the locking mechanism itself is usually fixed centrally on the inner face of a luggage door, while the closure elements are located at the edges of the luggage door. The crossed rods will then enable the opening and closing “commands” to be mechanically transmitted from the locking mechanism to the closing elements.
An example of this type of locking mechanism is fully described in the applicant's prior Brazilian Patent Application no. MU 8700113-6, which was filed on 16 Jan. 2007.
The application describes a locking mechanism for luggage doors formed by the combination of a drive module and a locking module, activated by a system of rods. As mentioned before, the drive module has the function of receiving the rotational opening and closing movement, and to transmit said rotational opening and closing motion to the locking module, ensuring the locking of the door.
The drive module, also known as the locking mechanism, is entirely based on a rotary movement, and as a result, it is fundamentally composed of a fixed body and a movable body, both associated with the internal face of the “mirror” of the lock.
The fixed body is basically composed of the “cylinder” of the lock, which is connected to a sliding arm, and said arm in turn is connected to a rod articulator which is a movable body.
The articulator consists of a modular structure provided with at least two “rods holders”, being fixed pivotally and centrally to the internal face of the “mirror” of the lock.
When the “cylinder” of the lock is activated, the sliding arm is moved, thus moving the rod articulator. This small rotational movement of the rod articulator is sufficient to alter the course of the rods which are associated to the locking elements, locking or unlocking the luggage door.
Although the object of the prior Brazilian Patent Application MU 8700113-6 fulfills all the functions to which it was originally designed, it can be seen that it has aspects that can be improved and optimized. These aspects are all related to the integration of modules and parts that integrate the lock, after all, all modules and parts are associated together by highly complex mechanical extenders, and any disassociation between these modules and parts ends up with the destruction of the lock.
Notably, the lock or locking mechanism disclosed in the Brazillian Patent Application MU 8700113-6 comprises an example of a locking mechanism responsible for the activation of “crossed rods”, however, most of the existing locking mechanisms are likely to have the same aforementioned aspects that may need improvements.
Yet another negative aspect related to the current locking mechanisms mentioned above refers to the operation of opening and closing. In this concept, it can be observed that such mechanisms are always linked to an external “handle” that must be pulled to activate the aforementioned opening or closing of the luggage door. This “pulling” movement should be executed in the same direction of the door opening, which sometimes can be a great inconvenience due to lack of space sufficient to pull the “handle” and open the door, or due to the ergonomic complexity of the full movement when done by one person. Based on this scenario, the present invention was developed.